Native Americans inhabited the area that is known as Yosemite today. Hetch Hetchy Valley occupies the northern half .
In 1890, President Harrison signed a bill creating Yosemite National Park which included the valley. Soon after, John Muir formed the Sierra Club to help promote Yosemite's protection. The city of San Francisco actively started looking at Hetch Hetchy as a water source and started applying for permission to develop the valley in 1901. Audio Interview: Mr. Spreck Rosekrans, Economic Analyst with the Environmental Defense Fund, on conditions in the early 20th century
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Audio Interview: Voice of Dr. Roderick Nash,
Professor Emeritus of the University of California, Santa Barbara |